Project Address:- Land at Albury Walled Garden, Albury Hall, Albury, Hertfordshire, SG11 2HX
Following engagement with The Design Review Panel (www.designreviewpanel.co.uk), this exciting project for a paragraph 80e dwelling located within the walled garden of a former stately home within the Rural Area Beyond the Green Belt of Hertfordshire was granted planning permission by East Herts District Council on 6th October 2023, under paragraph 80(e) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Congratulations to the design team who produced the proposals, including; Hawkes Architecture (https://www.hawkesarchitecture.co.uk), Squires Young Landscape Architects (https://www.squiresyoung.co.uk), and Hughes Planning (https://www.hughesplanning.co.uk), on behalf of private clients.
The proposal is for the construction of a paragraph 80e dwelling, estate management building, associated landscaping, ecology/BNG enhancements, access, parking and garaging.
The site is a parcel of land located to the south of Albury Hall Farm and lies within the Rural Area Beyond the Green Belt and the walled garden is a Non Designated Heritage Asset as designated within the East Herts District Plan (2018).
The site is one that is considered to be of high archaeological potential for the discovery of underground archaeological deposits, and forms part of a designated wildlife site. A Public Right of Way runs along its eastern boundary.
The application site comprises a walled garden, which is composed of three walled compartments, and was associated with the former Albury Hall manor house that once stood on the land to the north of the application site. The manor house dated from 1780 but was demolished after the Second World War in the 1950’s.
Between Albury Hall and the walled garden once stood a series of agricultural buildings, only parts of which remain. The site of Albury Hall contains remnants of the former country house and its associated landscaped gardens. It is believed there are remnants of the former country house below ground, some of which are visible, but most of which are not. The walled garden was used to grow food for the benefit of the former estate and a series of brick walls remain on the site to the present day.
In landscape terms, the site lies within the Hormead Wooded Plateau which is described as an undulating plateau area with arable farmland and frequent woodland blocks especially on the east side. The woodland blocks create significant features on the horizon. The estate of the former Albury Hall includes groups of ponds and vestiges of parkland.
Many thanks to Richard Hawkes, Director of Hawkes Architecture, who has provided the following comments:-
“ We were delighted to have recently obtained planning permission for our 29th paragraph 80e scheme on the site of a walled garden to a former country house in the East Herts District Council area.
Following a less than forthcoming initial pre-app response from East Herts District Council we encouraged the Local Planning Authority to engage in the process of having the scheme scrutinised by an independent design review panel [www.designreviewpanel.co.uk]. The first of these design review sessions was held on site in March 2020, just before the world went into lockdown for the Covid pandemic.
The subsequent design review panel sessions were held online via zoom, albeit with the benefit that the Panel members had already seen the site. These design review panel sessions ultimately led to the Panel endorsing our proposals, which ultimately gave East Herts District Council the confidence to delegate approval in September 2023.
We are tremendously grateful that The Design Review Panel (www.designreviewpanel.co.uk) were able to continue to provide the same collaborative, thorough and professional service throughout the pandemic as they have done before and since those testing times.
We were also grateful for the continuity provided by having the same Panel members in attendance at each design review stage.
Keep up the good work.”
The application (3/22/2294/FUL) was registered on the 22nd November 2022 and approval granted under delegated powers on 6th October 2023.
The Design Review Panel provides independent, impartial, multidisciplinary and expert design review Panel sessions for applicants, design teams and local authorities, nationally across England.
Feedback from The Design Review Panel is a material consideration in accordance with paragraph 133 on The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
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